Flametight door and flame seal for guided missile launching system



Nov. 20, 1962 R. c. WILSON 3,064,963

FLAMETIGHT DOOR AND FLAME SEAL FOR GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEM 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 22, 1959 INVENTOR Richard 63 WilsonFI.I

Nov. 20 1962 R. c. WILSON 3,064,953

FLAMETIGHT DOOR AND FLAME SEAL FOR GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEMOriginal Filed Oct. 22, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F162 FIG. 3

2 R c WILSON 3,064,963

FLAMETIGHT DOOR ANb FLAME SEAL FOR GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCI-IING SYSTEM 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Oct. 22, 1959 FIG. 4

Nov. 20, 1962 R. c. WILSON 3,064,953

FLAMETIGHT DOOR AND FLAME SEAL FOR GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEMOriginal Filed Oct. 22, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 LCMB2\ I [P I I 2499 2495PA T o l LCMBI l l 2490 I 2489 2494 V i 2095 1 2493 i I 24 9 e I x 2'491L I L 2492 3,tl64,963 FLAMETEGHT DOUR AND FLAME SEAL FQR GUHDED MESSTLELAUNCHTNG SYSTEM Richard C. Wilson, Champlin, Minn, assignor, by mesncassignments, to the United States of America as represented by theEecretary of the Navy Original application Oct. 22, 1959, Ser. No.848,163. Di-

vided and this application Nov. 30, 1953, Ser. No.

9 Claims. (Cl. 268-58) the danger of fire, it is customary to provide aclosedoff storage magazine. All delivery of missile weapons is thenhandled through as small an aperture as possible and a shutter or doorkept closed thereover at all other times.

It is important that the door be made to operate rapidly yet withoutundue shocks of start and stop. The door should be controllable fromelectric signals so that automatic interlocking with the movement of thetransported missile weapon on a conveyer is easily accomplished withproperly placed switches.

All apertures, such as passages for a drive chain, and skid tracks forthe missile weapon, must be sealed and fail-safe provisions made tocover contingencies of hydraulic or electrical system failure. The doorassembly, in addition, must be kept to the conveyer trunk for accuracyof fit and to maintain operability and flame tightness under adverseconditions such as encountered in moving vehicular structure.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide arapidly operating fiametight door having controlled acceleration anddeceleration.

Another object of this invention is to provide an automatically operatedfiametight door passing missile weapons from a ready service mechanismor magazine as used in a guided missile launching system.

Another object of this invention is to provide a flametight door for aconveyor trunk which will accurately conform to and seal all aperturestherearound in reliable, fail-safe manner.

in accordance with the invention, a flametight door is rovided betweentwo magazines, and in the guided missile launching system referred toabove between two trunk sections. When the flametight door is'closed, itseparates the trunk sections of area 1 from the trunk sections of area 2and it allows free passage of missilebooster combinations from area 2into area 1 when it is open. It is the function of the fiametight doorto seal off the magazine area of area 2 while the lower and upper blastdoors of the guided missile launching system are open. The frame of thefiamctight door is mounted to the athwartships bulkhead of a vessel andit is aligned to the adjacent loader trunk sections.

The flametight door frame is maintained in its posi tion by two locatingdowels fitted to the trunk sec tions. The flametight door is formed ofthree-eighth inch steel plate.

In addition to sealing the doorhead, the top edge of the flametight doorpasses through a gap in skid tracks and it is contoured to fit aroundchain tracks, leaving the tracks open for passage of a loader chain. The

' frame 2627.

3,064,9fi3 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 ice flametight door is linked to theinterlock system of the missile loader.

A section of the chain stowage track passes through the upper portion ofthe door frame of the fiametight door. The door frame is fitted to theoutside contour of the chain stowage track to provide a seal therefor.

A chain track flame seal is also provided for the flametight door. Thischain track flame seal is not hydraulically or electrically connectedwith the flametight door. Both the chain track flame seal and theflametight door are closed when a loader saddle cart is in the readyservice area 2. However, the flametight door is closed and the chaintrack flame seal is open when the loader saddle cart is extended beyondthe flametight door.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become morereadily apparent and understood from the accompanying detailedspecification and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diametric view of a flametight door with parts removed andpartly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of the flametight door of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross section with parts removed taken along line 33 of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a typical trunk section;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a typical trunk section, such as shown inFIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic of the hydraulic system for the flametight door.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 where there is shown a fiametightdoor 262% and its components, the fiametight door 2M8 is mounted in aframe 2027. This frame 2%27 is accurately maintained in its positionbetween sections VI and IX of an overhead weapons conveyer or loadertrunk 2883 by two locating dowels 2029. The dowels 2929 are inserted indowel supports 2076 provided in the sections VI and IX, a typicalsection of which is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The door ZGZd is formed of three-eighth inch steel and slides invertical gibs 26% over a large aperture in the In addition to sealingthe aperture, the top edge of the flametight door 24328 passes through agap in a pair of skid tracks 2%?) and 2056' which are used in supportinga missile weapon as it is conveyed over the trunk 2%3.

As shown by the dotted lines at A, the top of the flametight door 2 328is contoured to fit around a chain track 2052 and 2854, other componentsof the conveyer or loader trunk 2633 and thus leaves the track open forpassage of a loader chain (not shown).

The fiametight door 2M8 is linked to the interlock system of theconveyor for missile weapons, as will be pointed out subsequently. Inthe preferred form here described, the flametight door frame 2tl=27 isconsidered mounted in a bulkhead 8993 of a. vessel for providing passageof a weapon therethrough from an area 2 (an area where missile-boostercombinations are stored for use) to an area 1 (an area wheremissile-booster combinations have their wings and fins assembled theretoand where other preparations are performed on the missile weapons) whenthe door 2928 is down.

A fiametight door operating piston 24% operates the flametight door 2M3.This piston 24% is mounted to the door frame 2 327 and it is connectedto a door bracket 2497 through a piston rod 2489 and a self-aligninglink 2493, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This floating arrangement excludesthe precise alignment necessary between the travel of the flametightdoor 2828 and the stroke of the piston 2496.

The flametight door 2628 is provided with a control valve block 2495,shown general y in FIG. 2 and in detail in FIG. 6, which contains asolenoid-operated selector valve 2490, a metering valve 2494, a velocitycontrol valve 2493, and a latch valve 2491. This assembly gives smoothautomatic control of the flametight door 2020 during a transfer cycle ofa weapon.

The velocity control valve 2493 is spring-loaded against an elongatedcontrol cam 2499 which is attached to the flametight door 2028. Thevelocity control valve and control cam 2499 function together to sensethe position of the flametight door Together with the metering valve2494, the velocity control valve and the control cam 2499 rate controlthe flametight door operating piston 24-96 which opens and closes theflametight door. The latch valve 2491 latches the flametight door 2028in the closed position.

When the selector valve 2490 is shifted to open the flametight door2028, a flametight door latch 2492 is then released before the fluidpressure PA from an accumulator (not shown) is ported to the dooroperating piston 2496. The latch 2492 actually contacts the bottom edgeof the control cam 2499 while holding the flametight door 2028 closed.The latch is held in a retracted position by the control cam 2499 untilthe flametight door 2028 is completely closed.

FIG. 6 shows the selector valve 2490 and latch valve 2491 in block form.The control cam 2499 is attached to the piston rod 2489 which carriesthe load. The travel of the flametight door operating piston 2496 endsapproximately in the middle of the stroke. in closing the flametightdoor 2028, the selector valve 2490 ports accumulator pressure fluid tothe metering valve 2494. The controlled fluid is then ported to thebottom side of the flametight door operating piston 2496.

As shown best in FIGS. 2 and 6, a velocity control valve 2493, which isattached to the control cam 2499, functions as a variable orifice in theflow path of the hydraulic fluid, while the metering valve 2494maintains a constant pressure drop across this orifice. During theacceleration part of the operation, the opening of the orificeincreases, and the opening of the orifice is controlled by the controlcam 2499. Constant velocity for the flametight door 2020 is maintainedacross the flat portion of the control cam 2499. As the flametight dooroperating piston 2496 is decelerated, the control cam 2499 closes theorifice opening once more. The movement of the control cam 2499 isreversed during the return stroke of the flametight door operatingpiston 2496. The metering valve 2494- of the flametight door 2028 isspring-centered about the two lines leading to the valve before a cycleof operation is initiated.

At the beginning of a cycle of operation of the flametight door 2028,there is no resistance to the flow of hydraulic fluid in the systemuntil the fluid reaches the variable orifice comprising velocity controlvalve 2493. This velocity control valve 2493 then builds up a backpressure of hydraulic fluid which is ported to the left side of thespring-centered metering valve 2494. This back pressure of the hydraulicfluid causes the metering valve 2494 to shift to the right and attemptto cut off the flow of hydraulic fluid to the orifice.

It will be noted that the opposite end of the metering valve 2494 isconnected to the downstream side of the variable orifice. Because of theload on the piston rod 2489 and the flametight door operating piston2496, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the line will build up. Thebuilding up of the hydraulic pressure in the line results in a constantpressure drop across the orifice. As the flow of the hydraulic fluidincreases, the springcentered metering valve 2494 will meter the addedvolume of hydraulic fluid to assure the same specific pressure drop.

A constant pressure drop is maintained across the variable orificeopening by the metering valve 2494 when the flametight door 2028 iscycled to open. The hydraulic line labelled T leading from the meteringvalve 2494 to a fluid return header tank (not shown) is ported by theselector valve 2490. The pressure ?A of the accumulator fluid moves theflametight door operating piston 2496 downwardly. This pressure PA ofthe accumulator fluid is constantly available on top of the flametightdoor operating piston 249:3. The accumulator pressure fluid from tr ebottom side of the flametight door operating piston 2496 is regulatedfor desired flow characteristics as it passes through the control valveblock 2495. The combination of the control cam 2499, the variableorifice or velocity control valve 2493 and the metering valve 2494assure a smooth acceleration, constant velocity, and a uniformdeceleration of the flametight door 2023 regardless of existing loadconditions.

Now with suitable electrical interlock circuitry signalling that theweapon with its conveyer loader chain is in area 1, the left side of thedoor, as shown in FIG. 3, and ready for passage through to area 2, onthe right, a solenoid LCMBl is energized to open the flametight door2028.

As shown in FIG. 6, when solenoid LCMBl is energized, the flametightdoor solenoid operated selector valve 2490 is actuated and detented withsolenoid LCMBl being then de-energized. Now the latch valve 2491 for theflametight door 2028 is actuated to release the latch 2492 and to port areturn volume of hydraulic fluid to the velocity control valve 2493.

Valve 2493 is actuated by the control cam 2499 to port a volume ofhydraulic fluid to the metering valve 2494. The metering valve 2494,working along with the variable orifice effect of velocity control valve2493, causes the flametight door operating piston 2496 to shift. Theflametight door operating piston 2496 retracts and the flametight door2028 is opened.

After the Weapon is passed through into the area 2 over the skid tracksof the conveyor trunk, a solenoid LCMB2 is energized to close theflametight door 2028. Energizing the solenoid LCMBZ shifts and detentsthe flametight door selector valve 2490, the solenoid being thendeenergized.

The metering valve 2494 is now actuated. The velocity control valve 2493is cam and spring actuated and actuates the latch valve 2491. As theflametight door operating piston 2 496 is extended to close the door2028, the latch 2492 returns to a latched position.

The hollow open bottom chain track 2052 and 2054 is provided with aseparate closure because in one case when the weapon is on one side ofthe door 2028, the conveyer chain occupies the track. In the other case,the track 2052, 2054 is empty and capable of flame transmission and mustbe closed off.

For this purpose a chain track flame seal 2096 is provided. The chaintrack flame seal 2096, as shown best in FIGS. 1 and 2, is located intrunk section VI and closes the chain tracks 2052 and 2054 when theweapon is in area 2, thus simultaneously sealing olf the loader trunk2003 of area 2 from its continuation loader trunk 203 of area 1 alongwith the flametight door 2028. This action is necessary for the safetyof the weapons crew and the magazine personnel in areas 1 and 2,respectively. The chain track flame seal 2096 is linked to the operationof the conveyer trunk.

FIG. 1 shows a small slot 2097 just below the junction of trunk sectionsVI and IX. This slot 2097 is the opening through which the flame seal2096 depresses to close ofl the chain track 2052 and 2054 fore and aft.In FIG. 1, the flame seal 2096 is shown in the extended position whichwould indicate that the weapon with its drive chain is retracted andtherefore clear of the bulkhead and chain tracks.

It will be noted that the flame seal 2096 is arranged in a slanted orangled position. In order that the surfaces of the weapon support shoemay move smoothly through this area, no two opposite rollers of thechain are permitted to roll over the chain track flame seal slot 2097 atthe same time. This angled slot 2097 through the chain track areanecessitates the like-angled flame seal 2096.

An electrical interlock switch SIMB3, shown best in FIG. 3, indicatesthe retraction of the flame seal When the weapon is ready to betransferred into area 1, fluid pressure is ported to the smaller side ofa flame seal operating piston 2098, also shown in FIG. 1. Inasmuch ashydraulic pressure in the larger piston area subsides, the flame seal2096 is forced back into a retracted position. This causes compressiontype toggle-spring operated arm 2091 to act as an actuator to contactthe adjacent interlock switch SIMB3, shown in FIG. 3.

It will be noted from FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, that the flametight doorbracket 2497 When up in the door closed position effectively closes theopen bottom of the chain tracks 2052 and 2054 directly below the flameseal 2096.

The chain track flame seal 2096 otherwise is not me chanicallyhydraulically or electrically connected with the previously mentionedflametight door 2028 but operates therewith under movement of thetransported weapon. Both the chain track flame seal 2096 and theflametight door 2028 are closed when the weapon is in area 2. However,the flametight door 2028 is closed and the chain track flame seal 2096is open when the weapon is extended beyond the fiametight door 2028because of the aforementioned presence of the conveyor drive chain inthe chain in the chain tracks 2052 and 2054.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that Within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an overhead conveyor tramway having at least onetrunk section with skid tracks located on opposite sides of a wallseparating two areas from each other, closure means for automaticallyopening as well as closing an aperture in said wall separating saidareas from each other, including a frame located in said Wall andencompassing said aperture for allowing objects to slide along said skidtracks and pass back and forth through said aperture in said Wall framebetween said spaced areas, track means located at opposite sides of saidframe, a door slidably mounted in said track means for opening as wellas closing said aperture in said frame, means connected to said door forautomatically controlling the acceleration and deceleration movementsthereof during the opening and closing of said aperture in said frame,said means comprising a fluid motor having a piston operably positionedtherein, said piston having first and second sides, a piston rod havinga first end connected to said first side of said piston, said piston rodhaving a second end operably connected to said door, a source ofpressurized fluid, said fluid being continuously applied to said firstside of said piston, valve means controlling the flow of said fluid tosaid second side of said piston, said valve means comprising a selectorvalve, a metering valve, a velocity control valve, and a latch valve,said selector valve being operable to start and reverse the movement ofsaid piston and said door, said velocity control valve being operable tocontrol the rate of movement of said piston and said door, said meteringvalve meing operable to maintain a constant pressure drop across saidvelocity control means thereby insuring smooth movement of said pistonand said door, said latch valve being movable to a door closed positionwherein said fluid pressure is continuously supplied to said second sideof said piston thereby forcing said piston to one end of its stroke.

2. Closure means as recited in claim 1, wherein means are provided forsealing the edge periphery of said door to said. frame when saidaperture is closed by said door.

3. Closure means as recited in claim 1, wherein said skid tracks forsliding said objects through said aperture in said frame are spacedrfOIl'l each other.

4. Closure means as recited in claim 3, and other track means 5 "ic-nedwithin said skid tracks for encompassing and gui mg a chain for movingsaid objects through said aperture in said frame.

5. Closure means as recited in claim 4, and means including a seal forsealing off the interior of said other track means at said well whensaid other track means are empty.

Closure mea s as recited in claim 5, wherein said 1 is located at anangle to said other track means.

I. Closure means as recited in claim 6, and means for co-ntroiling theoperation of said seal.

8. Closure means as set forth in claim 1, wherein cam means are rigidlysecured to said door, and spring means bias said velocity control valveagainst said cam means whereby when said door moves said velocitycontrol valve is positioned in accordance with the shape of said cammeans thereby controlling the rate of movement of said door.

9. The closure means as recited in claim 8 wherein retractable means arepositioned between said frame and said door to thereby lock said dooragainst movement, said retractable means being positioned by movement ofsaid latch valve to said door closed position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,070,186 Schmidt Aug. 12, 1913 1,375,391 Johnson Apr. 19, 19211,872,201 Wiegner Aug. 16, 1932 2,57l,664- Blum Oct. 16, 1951 2,789,472Warlick Apr. 23, 1957 2,817,272 Gunder Dec. 24, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS10,849 Great Britain 1911

